THIRD COMMITTEE BEGINS DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS ON YOUTH, AGEING, DISABLED PERSONS, FAMILY

14 October 1996

Press Release
GA/SHC/3355

THIRD COMMITTEE BEGINS DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS ON YOUTH, AGEING, DISABLED PERSONS, FAMILY

19961014 Poland Introduces Draft Convention on Organized Crime

The credibility of the policy development process would be eroded if the United Nations system did not ensure effective implementation, according to the Under-Secretary-General for Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai. He was addressing the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon, as it began consideration of social development issues related to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.

Mr. Desai said the incredible achievements in social policy development over the last five years were evident to governments, businesses, trade unions and non-governmental organizations. Now it was time to show that equal emphasis could be placed on monitoring and reviewing at the national and international level. There had to be better coordination within the United Nations system.

Speakers stressed the importance of monitoring commitments to implement social development strategies at recent United Nations conferences, especially the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1994). They also spoke of the importance of investing in youth and ensuring that people with disabilities were not marginalized and could actively contribute to society.

The representative of Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that developing countries which had young populations were concerned with the question of ageing. But ageing need not be a macro-economic nightmare of escalating pensions and health care costs. The elderly could participate in and contribute to the development process.

Poland's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eugeniusz Wyzner, formally introduced the United Nations framework convention on transnational and organized crime. He said the international community needed to take urgent and appropriate action, as no State could combat organized crime alone. The proposed convention would establish cooperation and coordination of States' activities to provide legal assistance, as well as reliable reporting and monitoring tools.

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The representatives of Nigeria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Marshall Islands, Sudan, Norway, Algeria, Egypt, Belarus, Cuba, Malta and Malaysia made statements. Observers from the Holy See, Palestine and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) also addressed the Committee.

The Committee will meet again tomorrow, 15 October, at 3 p.m., to continue its discussions on social development issues.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to begin its examination of social development questions related to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family. This year the General Assembly will consider in plenary implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995). The Committee was also scheduled to hear the introduction this afternoon by Poland of a draft United Nations framework convention against organized crime.

Documents before the Committee include the 1996 report of the Economic and Social Council; the Secretary-General's report on the role of the cooperatives; and a letter from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland containing a draft framework convention against organized crime.

According to the Economic and Social Council Report of 1996 (document A/51/3, Part I), Member States are primarily responsible for elaborating integrated strategies against poverty. It says the Commission for Social Development should foster an exchange of national experiences in poverty eradication strategies and programme priorities and take these into account when formulating its views.

The Secretary-General's report on the role of the cooperatives in the light of new social and economic trends (document A/51/267), notes that governments, especially local authorities, are increasingly acknowledging cooperative enterprises as a way for citizens to get appropriate and affordable housing, utilities, infrastructure, health and social services. Cooperatives are user-owned and community responsive and can promote and support entrepreneurial development which is compatible with the World Summit's principles and objectives. The cooperative form of organizing a business enterprise is particularly appropriate for people with no other vehicle for economic progress. They can withstand competition from private for-profit agro-businesses and survive unfavorable market conditions, thereby helping viable family and community-based rural economies in many countries to continue. Health cooperatives often extend their emphasis on prevention and healthy living to provide social services, particularly to the elderly and people with disabilities. Those include home care, residences and special workplaces. Many housing cooperatives also provide home care and health services to the elderly and disabled.

According to the report, many new cooperatives are sponsored and initially supported by women's organizations and associations formed by the elderly, immigrants or minorities. In poor communities, where access to secure savings and credit at non-exploitive terms is very important, credit unions can help people avoid permanent indebtedness. By 1995, the World Council of Credit Unions had 88 million members in 87 countries with total

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savings of $378 billion, loans of $418 billion, reserves of $14 billion and assets of $419 billion.

Cooperative banks in both industrialized and developing countries play a key role by channelling external funds to individual cooperative enterprises without creating dependency, the report states. Many are the principle financial institutions of the rural sector and have major national standing. In the United States, the Farm Credit System services more than 500,000 farm and utilities borrowers. In 1993, it loaned $54 billion to its members, 25 per cent of all agricultural loans. In Europe, cooperative banks have a 17 per cent share of the savings market. Cooperative banks combine business viability with the belief they should contribute positively to their communities. For example, the Cooperative Bank in the United Kingdom has an ethical policy that it will not conduct business with any regime or organization which violates human rights, manufactures or sells weapons to oppressive regimes or manufactures tobacco products.

On the question of the elaboration of an international convention against organized transnational crime, the Committee will consider a 24 September letter from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland (document A/C.3/51/7), which contains as an annex a draft United Nations framework convention against organized crime. The draft convention was first put forward by President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland in his address to the General Assembly on 24 September.

The draft convention defines "organized crime" as meaning "group activities of three or more persons, with hierarchical links or personal relationships, which permit their leaders to earn profits or control territories or markets, internal or foreign, by means of violence, intimidations or corruption, both in furtherance of criminal activity and to infiltrate the legitimate economy", in particular by such activities as illicit drug-trafficking, trafficking in persons, counterfeiting currency, corruption of public officials, illicit trafficking in or stealing cultural objects, stealing of nuclear material, terrorist acts, and illicit trafficking in or stealing of arms and explosive materials or motor vehicles.

The draft states that the convention would be a response by State Parties to the growing threat of organized crime to global security and criminal justice. The convention would be intended as a flexible and efficient framework for multilateral and bilateral cooperation to intensify law enforcement, criminal justice and crime prevention activities by Member States.

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Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

EUGENIUSZ WYZNER (Poland) introduced a new agenda item on the elaboration of a convention against transnational organized crime which was presented to the General Assembly. The idea of such a convention had been presented by the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski, in his address to the General Assembly on 24 September.

Many world leaders were concerned about the growing threats to societies by organized crime. World-wide crime -- terrorist acts, illicit traffic in drugs, money laundering, traffic in persons (including women and children), illicit traffic in or stealing of arms, and so on -- was spreading. Today, with increasing international trade and free movement of people and flow of capital, criminal groups had become transboundary and global in nature. Urgent and appropriate action was needed by the international community, but no State could combat organized crime alone. Effective coordination among their law enforcement institutions and criminal justice was necessary. Therefore, States must speak with one unequivocal and clear voice.

In addition to bilateral agreements and regional measures, the efforts of the international community should be arranged in one legal framework on the basis of a single, global international instrument. That was why Poland had proposed a framework convention that would establish forms of cooperation and coordination of States' activities to provide legal assistance as well as reliable reporting and monitoring tools. This plan would ensure the attainment of the common goal of all States: the reduction and eradication of organized crime worldwide. It was not Poland's intention to introduce a new international legal order or modify the existing one. Poland had based the proposed new framework convention on the substantive law, that is, international instruments, and it would by no means affect the value, or interfere with, the application of those existing legal instruments.

Social Development Questions

ANDRZEJ KRASSOWSKI, of the Division for Social Policy and Development, introduced the Secretary-General's report on the role of international cooperatives in the light of new economic and social trends.

EMILIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that developing countries which had young populations were concerned with the question of ageing. That was because the world was in the midst of a major demographic shift -- the ageing of its population. At present more than half of the elderly lived in developing countries, but by the year 2025, nearly three quarters of them would be resident in the third world. While the population of developed

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countries would be older, they already had the infrastructure to deal with an ageing populace, as well as the resources to expand that infrastructure. Developing countries had neither.

Developing countries had the option to generate and encourage responses to ageing which could be synchronized with development policies and strategies. Development and ageing were complementary. Ageing need not be a macro-economic nightmare of escalating pensions and health care costs. The ageing could participate in and contribute to the development process. The Group of 77 and China had introduced a resolution linking ageing to development.

SAM OTUYELU (Nigeria) said the countries faced the question of whether to invest in development for the future or mortgage it to present needs. The Committee and the General Assembly would be doing something more rational if it concentrated on such factors as the growth of the world's population as a result of improving economic and health conditions. Resources were diminishing, and there was a need to invest in social infrastructure for the future. Lack of access to proper social infrastructure could lead to social unrest. Privatization in developing countries meant those services would be beyond the reach of the poor people.

He said many countries could not invest in social development because of economic problems caused by inequities in trade. The international community should share resources to make sure there was an investment in social infrastructure. There must be a balance between privatization and social responsibility. He called for more international cooperation in the areas of social development.

VALENTIN HADJIYSKI (Bulgaria) outlined measures taken at the national level as a follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995. He said that Bulgaria's efforts were now focused on the follow-up to the Declaration and the Programme of Action for Social Development at a global, regional and national level.

The transition to a market economy in Bulgaria had been accompanied by growing unemployment, decline in real-term average income, restricted public spending and deteriorating living stands. In May, the Government adopted a national programme for social development as a follow-up to the Copenhagen Declaration. The programme sets forth strategies for Government action in the social sphere based on the policy of pursuing sustainable development, social peace and the gradual abolition of poverty. Bulgaria intended to launch a second joint project this fall targeted to overcoming poverty and social marginalization in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

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HOLGER LALLEHAUGE (Denmark), also speaking on behalf of the Nordic Council of Organizations of Disabled People, said the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, 1996) stated "we shall promote full accessibility for people with disabilities". Adequate shelter was defined as more than a roof over one's head, and meant, among other things, physical accessibility. Habitat II had been an important step forward for disabled people in their efforts to achieve equal opportunities. The implementation of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities was still the main objective. It could be realized if all Members followed the long-term strategy to further implementation of the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons to the Year 2000 and beyond. The focus of 1995 and 1996 should be on legislation, coordination of work, organizations of persons with disabilities, accessibility, education and employment.

He said legislation should be given high priority both at the international and national levels. When the rights of disabled persons were no longer recommendations but statutory instruments, the process of equalization of opportunities would gain more momentum.

TROELS LUND POULSEN (Denmark), spoke on youth participation. She said young people were full of ideas, open-minded and resourceful. They were seldom a burden to society and were an important resource. Projects utilizing the special expertise of youth organizations should be developed and supported by the United Nations. Peer learning, where the young could educate each other, was one way to involve them in improving their own situation. Youth were the best teachers for youth because communication was on an equal level. The key to giving young girls a better start in family life was information, education and support. They must be given unprejudiced education about sexual life.

He welcomed the World Youth Forum as an important venue for young people to meet on their own terms. Sufficient funding should be provided so young people from developing countries could attend. Denmark would make a grant to enable 10 young delegates from the least developed nations to participate in the Forum's next session in Vienna in November.

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, said the United Nations had achieved a great deal in the integration of economic, social and environmental concerns which was very much the work of the Third Committee. The United Nations had identified a basis of action in those areas which was built on shared values and goals. The Committee's work on children's and women's rights had identified a role for public policy at a time when governments were moving increasingly towards a market orientated approach. The great achievements in such areas as human

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rights, the environment and employment protection could not have been achieved by relying on the market.

He said the Third Committee had shaped the agenda and processes of the United Nations Conferences on Women, Human Settlements and Social Development. However, policy development tasks were not over. The key issue was to shift focus to implementation. The last five years had concentrated on policy development, and the incredible achievements were evident not only to governments but to businesses, trade unions and non-governmental organizations. The challenge now was to retain the credibility of the policy development process by showing it could put equal emphasis on monitoring and review at the national and international level. There had to be better coordination between the different United Nations systems.

He said the various United Nations task forces on sustainable development were one way to move beyond policies into operational guidelines for implementation at the government level. They must examine how the governmental process could make a better link between policy development and implementation. The credibility of policy development would be eroded if they were not as effective in ensuring implementation. The two major themes before the Committee were integration and mainstreaming. The key issue of integration was not a welfare issue to be added onto development but something which should be written into development policies. Mainstreaming required gender sensitivity in the very formation of policy.

LAURENCE N. EDWARDS (Marshall Islands) said that the delegations of the South Pacific Forum had been actively involved in the preparations for the World Summit for Social Development, as well as in the Summit itself. They had reaffirmed their willingness to work towards a new, improved international structure for the betterment of their peoples. The commitment to social development was also clear from the South Pacific Forum held in Madang, Papua New Guinea, and again at the Forum meeting held this year in Majuro, Marshall Islands.

The Marshall Islands was currently undergoing a far-reaching structural adjustment of its public sector which had led to increased unemployment. While the relative poverty in the Pacific was not abject, it existed nevertheless. International support had been small, and sometimes it seemed like it would take a raging war or mass starvation to capture the attention of the international community. The governments and community-based organizations were making admirable and commendable efforts for social development. He called on those who pledged support for people-centred human and social development to look favourably on the South Pacific region and the peoples of the Pacific Island countries.

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HUSSEIN MUBARAK (Sudan) said that his delegation agreed with Costa Rica's statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The current agenda item had importance for Sudan because people were at the heart of its policies, and it had therefore taken great interest in youth, ageing and the disabled. A sound family led to a sound society, and vice versa. Interest in social development stemmed from the awareness of the deterioration of society, in general, and the need to deal with social problems within the context of current global mechanisms.

If the international community was interested in implementing all of the resolutions introduced at Committee meetings, more political will should be demonstrated to provide means needed to implement various projects. The globalization that had made world trade development and communication technology possible had also caused the world to become more interdependent. Therefore, the vision of society must be more global in nature. Yet tolerance should be the cornerstone of all global policies, and specific cultural traditions must be considered in the implementation of those policies. Traditions were part of the normal development of communities and existed to meet specific needs.

Sudan was interested in youth because it was the main motor for development, he continued. It had created many universities in recent years, as well as centres of professional training, in order to close the technological gap.

TRINE SKEI GRANDE (Norway) said that the planet inherited by her generation was facing enormous global challenges, and that it was about to experience a global increase in temperatures which had enormous consequences. The greatest threat to humanity's short-term existence was the scarcity of water, food and other resources. If humankind was to collectively solve the greatest threats to its existence, then every step will count and cooperation was necessary in turning development in the correct direction. The most important mass movements for peace, human rights, environment and democracy have all been strongly supported by young people.

Next month, the United Nations Youth Forum will meet in Vienna. She challenged the world's societies to allow youth, through their own organizations, to be allowed to shape their own future. More youth-delegates should be included in United Nations meetings, the trainee-arrangements should be supported and extended and, most importantly, the Youth Forum should become a regular event.

AMINA MESDOUA (Algeria) said the Copenhagen Summit had stressed the importance of social development programmes and expressed the determination of the international community to fight poverty and exclusion. However, a lack of solidarity continued to dominate international relations and highlighted

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the differences between developed countries and those suffering instability and economic difficulties. There had been a lack of concerted action by the international community. Her country had implemented a process of economic renewal and market oriented policies which would make adjustments under acceptable conditions. She hoped national and international efforts to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of people would lead to effective action. International institutions should adjust their policies to ensure global development.

She said the main responsibility for development rested with States, but the United Nations must carry out its primary objective of encouraging development. The Organization could only make important contributions if the Commission on Sustainable Development was a main player and coordinated policies at a system-wide level. The follow-up to the Social Summit must ensure genuine cooperation and partnership which would include governments, the United Nations, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations. As long as extreme poverty continued, no country could believe it had achieved development.

KARIM WISSA (Egypt) said all people had the right to development, and governments should give priority to social development after so many years of conflict. Collective security must take into account the causes of under- development. First, any future framework must be based on local, regional and international efforts. Second, cultural differences should be taken into account in development proposals, as no culture should have unacceptable practices imposed on it. Third, the important role of States in development should be taken into account. They could ensure such important factors as favourable terms of trade and a transfer of technology. Issues concerning the family, the aged, youth and persons with disabilities were all linked. The family was the main focus of society. Health care was also a key element. Policies were based on the important efforts of private organizations to deal with illiteracy and the education of girls.

He hailed the Secretary-General's proposal of declaring 1999 the International Year of Older Persons. The aged had an important role to play in society -- especially in rural areas. His Government placed a great deal of emphasis on the contributions of persons with disabilities. Their exclusion was a contravention of human rights.

IGAR GUBAREVICH (Belarus) said it was important for the Commission on Social Development to come up with strategies to eliminate extreme poverty -- a key area where the international community would have to act. During his country's transition to a market economy, his Government had focused on preventing a radical decline and on lowering the level of inflation. However, the extreme fall in production levels and the rapid increase in inflation had made things difficult. Dealing with the effects of Chernobyl continued to

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take one fifth of the country's budget. His Government had implemented important programmes to deal with the ageing population, including legal protection for them. New categories of needy families had emerged, including those who had been forcibly resettled and the unemployed.

The Commission on Social Development must be strengthened and reformed so that it could deal with countries' needs for effective social development policy, he continued. The open-ended consultations between Members would be helpful, as would innovative approaches such as a dialogue with experts. Attention should be given to compliance with the principle of equitable geographic representation when selecting experts. The work of non- governmental organizations should also be taken into account. His Government did not support the proposal to increase the Commission's membership.

RODOLFO REYES RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said his Government attached political importance to the various social groups represented by the current agenda item -- youth, aged, disabled. There was not a Cuban social program that did not include all of those groups. Despite the tightening of the blockade of Cuba by the United States, the Government continued to support many social programmes for all groups and Cuba continued to be a society for all people.

He said it was not possible to find any economic or social sector in which youth did not play a key role. Cuba welcomed the adoption of the Program of Action for the Year 2000, and it also supported the preparation for the International Year of Older Persons for 1999. Social Security and medical care were guaranteed for all senior citizens in Cuba. It was also in the process of enacting the Grandparents Care Circle, which would assure that older people were taken care of and able to take part in work. The Care Circle also helped the ageing to expand their areas of interest and helped them to remain healthy. In addition, the Government supported various organizations for the disabled, including health care, employment, sports and special schools.

VICTOR PACE (Malta) said his Government considered "the family the basic unit of society and the natural environment for the healthy development and functioning of the individual and therefore society". In addition, the family, which was being given the necessary support by governmental and non- governmental organizations, was the vehicle best suited to ensure that all people, whatever their special needs, remained integrated in society. To that end, Malta's Family Law provided that the husband and wife were equal partners with equal rights on decisions in all matters that affected their family, particularly the care of their children.

Malta had extended and improved present training centres to ensure that the hundreds of disabled people who visited them would have the space necessary to develop their abilities, he said. The elderly had the right to

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live in full dignity, as well as the right to all necessary aid needed to overcome handicaps caused by age and disease. While the State could provide the elderly with financial benefits like home assistance and meals, it was the family that provided the important intangible benefits, like love and companionship. The policy of the Maltese Government regarding youth was clearly outlined in its national youth policy, which included provisions for equal opportunity to education; integration into the mainstream of the political, social and economic life of the country; and recognition of youth as vital elements of the future of the nation.

CHANG SEE TEN (Malaysia) said that it had been estimated that there were currently over 1 billion youth between 15 and 24 years old in the world. Those young people were a major and potential human resource and key agents for future social development. But without proper guidance and programmes developed for them by States, they could become easy prey for social ills and other negative elements. Youth in developing countries needed not only better health, but also access to better education, training, technical assistance and technology. Addressing the needs of the youth would ensure economic and social stability.

Countries in the world were also experiencing an increase in the absolute and relative size of their ageing population. Steps needed to be taken to ensure that family ties were maintained, and caring for the elderly continued to be the responsibility of the family. Since 1992, Malaysia had introduced measures to promote care of the elderly. Tax relief was offered to people for medical expenses of their elderly parents, and medical benefits for public sector employees were extended to include their parents. As Malaysia moved towards achieving a fully industrialized society, the complexities and demands made on families would increase. Efforts must be undertaken to equip families so they could face the challenges of rapid economic development, while maintaining stability and harmony within the family.

Archbishop RENATO MARTINO, Observer for the Holy See, said he hoped it would be possible to review the progress on commitments made by governments at the Copenhagen Summit to establish in 1996 strategies to eradicate extreme poverty. The common link binding each of the recent United Nations conferences was the search for a new concept of development, which focused on the needs of people. Models of economic development which left large sectors of society still on its margins or resulted in increasing social inequities remained questionable. All sectors of society must develop and lay foundations which created an atmosphere in which young people can grow and develop a sense of responsibility. However, many young people, particularly girls, lacked opportunities for education. One of the scourges of developed countries was the high level of youth unemployment. Drugs and criminality destroyed the lives of many young people.

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Great strides in eradicating diseases, as well as improved nutrition and advances in medicine and technology, had helped lower mortality rates, especially among women and children. He called on the international community to renew its recognition of the sacred dignity of all human life, especially of disabled persons and those suffering from disease. In recent years, a terrible contradiction drew attention away from the care of the sick, the aged and the disabled and focused instead on euthanasia. For many elderly people, changes in legislation or medical practice had become a new source of anxiety and could weaken their care-givers. In a world where longevity was rapidly becoming one of its greatest characteristics, everyone should be working to develop a new and enriched understanding of ageing and the wide contribution which the elderly could and should bring to society.

SOMAIA BARGHOUTI, observer for Palestine, said development of any society depended on the advancement and empowerment of youth, particularly in the fields of education, health and employment. She stressed the importance of integration of girls and young women into national development policies. Removing obstacles to gender equality was imperative for the empowerment of women and girls and their effective participation with male youth at all levels of social, cultural, economic and political leadership. The present and future status of Palestinian youth, who comprised over 70 per cent of the population, was an important factor in the future development of Palestinian society. The youth of Palestine was a generation which had known only life under Israeli occupation or in dispersion, mainly in refugee camps. They had suffered from discrimination, injustices and oppression. And they continued to face harsh conditions, including closure of their educational and recreational institutions, high unemployment, the impact of recurrent violent actions by the Israeli occupation forces and the settlers, as well as imprisonment.

Despite their difficulties, Palestinian youth had played an enormous role in the struggle for justice and independence and continued to do so, she said. However, for the first time, the current generation had been denied any youth activities in schools and universities and had been deprived of a proper chance for education. They also suffered from physical and psychological trauma, and a high number had injuries which handicapped them. The Palestinian Authority, with help from the international community, must make greater efforts towards the creation of normal and healthier conditions for its youth. The Palestinian youth overwhelmingly welcomed the peace process in the hope of a better future. That hope had been nearly lost due to the policies of the new Israeli Government, a lack of any real progress in employment and restrictions on the freedom of movement in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, as well as cross-borders to neighbouring countries.

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DAVID FREEDMAN, of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), said he wanted to focus his statement on the ILO's work in the field of cooperatives. Cooperatives had recently received renewed attention, most notably in the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development. In Copenhagen, heads of State committed themselves to fully develop and utilize the potential of cooperatives to eradicate poverty, generate full and productive employment, and enhance social integration. In today's global economy, cooperatives provided an organizational means for effectively integrating disadvantaged or socially excluded people in economic activity and society as a whole.

He outlined the work of the ILO's programmes to promote the development of democratic and viable cooperatives in developing countries. Those programmes were already operational in a large number of countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, where the intended beneficiaries were people who formed or joined cooperatives or self-help organizations in order to improve their own socio-economic conditions. The ILO stood firm in its long-standing commitment to support cooperative development as an integral part of economic and social progress.

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